There's no thing like tome for the holidays
Last-minute shoppers rejoice!
This week, ROUTE 1 asks readers the following, shopping advisory FRIDAY QUESTION:
"What book would you recommend for holiday shoppers?"
Laura C. -- Well, I know what I'm going to buy myself for Christmas:
"The Rarest of the Rare: Stories Behind the Treasures at the Harvard Museum of Natural History" (see it here).
And, if I'm really good, Santa may bring me:
"The World of Ornament" (Taschen's latest back-breakingly humongous tome) (see it here).
And, of course everyone needs a copy of:
"The Secret Language of Sleep: A Couple's Guide to the 39 Positions" (see it here) by the charming and talented (and oddly double-jointed) Evany Thomas...
Mary N.-P. -- "The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls -- the most outrageous memoir ever. She never loses her sense of humor/irony or her parents through the childhood from hell. Nearly everyone I've given it to has read it in one sitting.
Scout S. -- "The Circus of Dr. Lao," by Charles G. Finney (1935).
Brian C. -- Some people might expect me to reply with a shameless plug for "Red Faber: A Biography of the Hall of Fame Spitball Pitcher" (paperback, published by McFarland & Co., available online or at River Lights). But I wouldn't take advantage of the blog that way. So I'll recommend a baseball classic, "Glory of their Times," by Lawrence Ritter (see it here). It tells the story of two dozen of the early stars of the game. (My only regret is that Ritter didn't talk with Faber or the subject of my next project, Hall of Famer Ray Schalk.)
Mike D. -- The Bass Pro catalog, for all those who are shopping for me! And, upon further consideration, "Do They Know It's Christmas" is the greatest (secular) holiday song. You can't help but imitate the all-star cast as you sing along.
Ellen B. -- "Polar Express."
Sandye V. -- "The Devil in the White City," by Erik Larson. Their fates were linked by the magical Chicago World's Fair of 1893, nicknamed the "White City" for its majestic beauty. Architect Daniel Burnham built it; serial killer Dr. H. H. Holmes used it to lure victims to his World's Fair Hotel, designed for murder. Both men left behind them a powerful legacy, one of brilliance and energy, the of sorrow and darkness.
Tom J. -- "Until I Find You," John Irving.
Kerstin H. -- "Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio" by Peg Kehret.
Mike M. -- For holiday shoppers, I recommend "Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping" by Judith Levine, 2006. What does it take to simply stop shopping for 12 months? Levine took the plunge, and chronicles her findings in this almost-weekly diary of her year of non-purchasing.
Erik H. -- "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood" by Peter Biskind (see it here). It provides the most insightful look at how a group of creative directors dragged the "Old Hollywood" system into the modern era we have today.
This week, ROUTE 1 asks readers the following, shopping advisory FRIDAY QUESTION:
"What book would you recommend for holiday shoppers?"
Laura C. -- Well, I know what I'm going to buy myself for Christmas:
"The Rarest of the Rare: Stories Behind the Treasures at the Harvard Museum of Natural History" (see it here).
And, if I'm really good, Santa may bring me:
"The World of Ornament" (Taschen's latest back-breakingly humongous tome) (see it here).
And, of course everyone needs a copy of:
"The Secret Language of Sleep: A Couple's Guide to the 39 Positions" (see it here) by the charming and talented (and oddly double-jointed) Evany Thomas...
Mary N.-P. -- "The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls -- the most outrageous memoir ever. She never loses her sense of humor/irony or her parents through the childhood from hell. Nearly everyone I've given it to has read it in one sitting.
Scout S. -- "The Circus of Dr. Lao," by Charles G. Finney (1935).
Brian C. -- Some people might expect me to reply with a shameless plug for "Red Faber: A Biography of the Hall of Fame Spitball Pitcher" (paperback, published by McFarland & Co., available online or at River Lights). But I wouldn't take advantage of the blog that way. So I'll recommend a baseball classic, "Glory of their Times," by Lawrence Ritter (see it here). It tells the story of two dozen of the early stars of the game. (My only regret is that Ritter didn't talk with Faber or the subject of my next project, Hall of Famer Ray Schalk.)
Mike D. -- The Bass Pro catalog, for all those who are shopping for me! And, upon further consideration, "Do They Know It's Christmas" is the greatest (secular) holiday song. You can't help but imitate the all-star cast as you sing along.
Ellen B. -- "Polar Express."
Sandye V. -- "The Devil in the White City," by Erik Larson. Their fates were linked by the magical Chicago World's Fair of 1893, nicknamed the "White City" for its majestic beauty. Architect Daniel Burnham built it; serial killer Dr. H. H. Holmes used it to lure victims to his World's Fair Hotel, designed for murder. Both men left behind them a powerful legacy, one of brilliance and energy, the of sorrow and darkness.
Tom J. -- "Until I Find You," John Irving.
Kerstin H. -- "Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio" by Peg Kehret.
Mike M. -- For holiday shoppers, I recommend "Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping" by Judith Levine, 2006. What does it take to simply stop shopping for 12 months? Levine took the plunge, and chronicles her findings in this almost-weekly diary of her year of non-purchasing.
Erik H. -- "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood" by Peter Biskind (see it here). It provides the most insightful look at how a group of creative directors dragged the "Old Hollywood" system into the modern era we have today.
posted by erik hogstrom at 7:17 AM
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